- Are the ‘aliens’ at it again?
In an interview with a private TV channel Imran Khan claimed that “the army helped him (Nawaz Sharif) in the 2013 elections.” Explaining how this was done he said that it was stated before the judicial enquiry commission that the Returning Officers in Punjab were surrounded by the army and inside that security cordon they were casting fake votes. Prime Minister Abbasi maintains that the elections this time will be held by ‘aliens’ rather than the caretaker government but even then his party will participate in them. Two days earlier Nawaz Sharif had also claimed that the PML-N was not contesting against the PPP or the PTI but against the ‘aliens’.
It is difficult to believe that in 272 constituencies where more than 100 million voters would cast votes this year any institution has the capacity to maneuver results of its own liking. Gen Pervez Musharraf who was both the army chief and a powerful president tried his level best to secure a majority for the King’s Party in the 2002 elections but miserably failed. This despite having a docile Supreme Court and an obliging CJ at his back. Musharraf had to subsequently indulge in wide ranging post-election engineering using both the NAB and security agencies to get a prime minister of his choice elected from the NA. Zafrullah Jamali managed to scrape through with a majority of a one vote.
It is not feasible for anybody to rig the general elections in a big way at this time and age in Pakistan. The CJ has ensured on behalf of the entire judiciary to have fair and free elections. Scores of competing private media channels would be reporting the happenings at the polling stations. While one does not rule out pre- and post-election maneuvering by interested groups and rival political parties, a stealing of the elections on the polling day may not be possible. It is for the army to realise why certain parties strongly believe it has indulged in rigging in the past and may do so again.
